Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams remains hospitalized in serious but stable condition

<br>GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) _ Baseball great Ted Williams was in serious condition Friday after being hospitalized with a low-grade fever and low blood pressure. <br><br>The 83-year-old Hall of Famer was

Friday, January 25th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) _ Baseball great Ted Williams was in serious condition Friday after being hospitalized with a low-grade fever and low blood pressure.

The 83-year-old Hall of Famer was taken from his home by ambulance Thursday to Shands Hospital at the University of Florida, about 50 miles away.

``He is in serious but stable condition and is resting comfortably,'' Shands spokeswoman Kristi Lam said Friday morning, adding that no additional details would be released.

Williams was given fluids and antibiotics in the intensive care unit, and his vital signs improved, The Boston Globe reported. His temperature was 100 degrees before he arrived, the newspaper said.

``Dad's doing all right,'' son John Henry Williams told the newspaper. ``He's got some sort of cold or flu or something. But he's far from dead.''

The family at first didn't think Williams' symptoms were serious enough for a hospital visit, but decided not to take a chance. The son told the newspaper his father might return home as early as Friday.

``There's no time limit,'' he said. ``We want to make sure we know what he's got. ... He was probably fighting it for a few days. But this isn't a big deal.''

Williams has been slowed by a series of strokes, including an especially severe one in 1994 that limited his vision and mobility. He also has suffered from congestive heart failure, undergoing open-heart surgery last January, and he requires daily kidney dialysis.

Known during his playing days as ``The Splendid Splinter,'' Williams retired in 1960 after playing his entire 19-season career with the Boston Red Sox. He was the last man to bat .400 for a season, hitting .406 in 1941.

In a rare interview in September, the former Red Sox star told the Globe, ``I'm feeling pretty good.''

``But my whole life has been knocked out of joint,'' he said. ``Oh, boy. I've never been through years like I've been through in the last four years. There's nothing I can compare it to in my life. I really have been through hell.''